Idol Chatter & Voice Views

On The Voice, battle round contestants always talk about how they work together to ensure the contestant who loses the battle gets stolen.

Well, that’s not going to work for many of the 24 singers whose battles have yet to be shown.

If you’ve been counting, you know only three saves remain. Blake Shelton has used both of his, stealing former Team Pharrell members Travis Ewing and Meghan Linsey.

Meanwhile, Adam Levine, Pharrell and Christina Aguilera each have one steal left, having picked up Joshua Davis, Hannah Kirby and Ashley Morgan, respectively.

If you want to check out profiles of each and every Season 8 contestant on The Voice, including those already eliminated, head here.

You’ll learn lots about the singers you didn’t hear or see on the show. And, in many cases, you’ll find out about the music they’ve already released.

Now, it’s time for more battles …

TEAM PHARRELL

Caitlin Caporale vs. Briar Jonnee: Caitlin Caporale, 23, of Newburgh, N.Y., sang Christina Aguilera’s “Impossible” and turned in the best performance on the final night of the blind auditions. Briar Jonnee, 20, of Shuqualak, Ms., performed Rihanna’s “Take a Bow” for her audition and turned in an emotional performance that prompted Pharrell Williams and Blake Shelton to turn their chairs. Pharrell is going to give them “Falling” by Alicia Keys. He says both of them are soulful and this song will let them pour out their emotion. Pharrell is urging Caitlin to deliver more power; he’s encouraging Briar to sing with eyes open and show confidence in herself. Lionel says they’re both so good, this is likely to come down to who can take the pressure of the battle round.

Dang. Great opening by Briar. I don’t remember her sounding that great. And Caitlin is delivering a king-size serving of soul herself. Briar is showing more power though, and she really followed Pharrell’s advice about opening up for the crowd and developing some stage presence. And then they come together for a really nice ending. I’d give that win to Briar. Blake calls them both awesome. Adam thinks Caitlin could win with that much control and power. Christina calls it one of the better battles, too. Pharrell compliments them both for following his instructions. Pharrell awards the win to Caitlin. He says he sees her as a great R&B/pop artist.

Lowell Oakley vs. Kimberly Nicole: Lowell Oakley, 19, of Durham, N.C., auditioned with Duke Ellington’s “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.” He got two coaches to turn their chairs. Kimberly Nichole, 32, of New York, auditioned with “Nutbrush City Limits” by Ike and Tina Turner. She, too, turned two chairs. He’s going to have them singing “Hound Dog.” Lowell says the song is a challenge for him, while Kimberly seems more comfortable with it. Pharrell says he’s impressed by Kimberly and wants Lowell to gain confidence and rev it up, too. During auditions, Lowell seems to be cutting loose more and feeding off Kimberly’s energy.

Interesting, unique opening by Kimberly, who looks like she owns the stage. Lowell is trying to match her stage presence, but it doesn’t come off quite as natural. And Kimberly has such a nice, raw sound. That said, Lowell is getting stronger as the song goes on. And the two singers come together for a nice ending. Nice battle, folks. But my choice would be Kimberly because I felt like she guided that performance. Adam calls it a great arrangement, nicely executed. Adam isn’t sure who won. Blake doesn’t understand why Pharrell put them together, then pleads the fifth on who should win. Christina calls it one of the best battles. And after a long, long, long deliberation, Pharrell names Lowell the winner.

Kimberly will get stolen, of course. No way she’s going home. Christina steals Kimberly.

TEAM ADAM

Jack Gregori vs. Barry Minniefield: Jack Gregori, 37, of Washington, D.C., performed Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” showing off a fine baritone voice in the blind audition, but turned only one chair. The same happened to Barry Minniefield, 52, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who sang Billy Pauls’ classic soul hit “Me and Mrs. Jones.” They’ll sing Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright.” I was really surprised these guys only turned one chair apiece in the blinds. Adam says no one has an edge and whoever has more fun will win the battle. My guess is they’re going to put on a good show.

Jack unleashes that baritone right off the bat. And he ab libs a bit while Barry sings his part. Then Barry counters by unleashing a scream while Jack is singing. You can tell both of these guys are used to being on stage. Barry’s a bit bigger of a showman, though. And both guys finish strong. Very solid battle. I’d give that win to Barry, though. Blake says he would give a small edge to Barry too. Christina says she thoroughly enjoyed it. Pharrell compliments them on the performance too. Adam says they both wound up having fun doing the song and says he’s going to make a choice on “a gut thing.” He declares Barry the winner.

TEAM CHRISTINA

Katelyn Read vs. Treeva Gibson: Katelyn Read, 25, of Raleigh, N.C., sang Anna Nalick’s “Breathe (2 a.m.)” in a blind audition and got Christina to turn around. Treeva Gibson, 16, of Frederick, Md., auditioned with Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful,” and enticed two judges to turn around. They’ll sing “Addicted To Love” — the Florence and the Machine version. Christina says it’s a haunting, moody song that will fit both of their voices. Christina says Treeva has great power and Katelyn has great technique, but she wants them to step out of themselves and perform with conviction. She wants them to break out of their shell and deliver some intensity. She’s getting them to scream in hopes they’ll loosen up that way.

Hey, I like the ladies’ interpretation of the song. Katelyn has a really interesting tone. We only got to see a few seconds of her audition. And Christina is right, Treeva has a nice, clear, powerful voice. Christina wanted more intensity and more fervor and the gals are serving it up. For as tame as the audition seemed, that turned into a very spirited battle. Wow, tough choice for Christina, because Katelyn is a really distinctive singer, but Treeva showed off more power as a singer. I think I’d give a slight edge to Katelyn for her unique sound. Adam would give the edge to Treeva; Blake says he’d award the battle to Katelyn. Hmm, Christina says she’s “struggling with this one.” Christina declares Treeva the victor.

India Carney vs. Clint Washington: India Carney, 21, of Brooklyn, N.Y., sang Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” and turned all four chairs in the blind audition. Clinton Washington, 26, of Little Rock, Ark., sang Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” in a blind audition performance that was part of a montage. Only Christina turned for him. Christina is asking them to sing “Stay.” Immediately, they both sound really good on the song. We only heard a tiny snippet of Clinton’s audition. He knows he’s in for a fight, because India was one of the stars of the blinds.

Well, once again, The Voice has spoiled the success, letting us know both singers survive. It’s now just a question of who winds up on what team. Individually, these two sound very good. Together, they sound excellent. Clint is showing off a really distinctive tone and nice range. India is simply a superb singer. What’s selling this performance though is the emotion they’re delivering it with. The Voice billed it as one of the best battles, and that certainly was. I’d give the win to India. Pharrell says it’s the best battle he’s seen. Adam says Clinton made the coaches who didn’t turn around for him look like bozos. Blake calls it a great performance. Christina declares India the winner.

Pharrell and Adam are both trying to steal Clinton. Of course, we knew that would happen. Adam likes the confidence Clinton displayed. Pharrell says Clinton has what it takes to win the show. Clinton joins Team Adam.

TEAM BLAKE

Brenna Yaeger vs. Kelsie May: Brenna Yaeger, 19, of Spokane, Wash., performed Miranda Lambert’s “The House that Built Me.” She turned two chairs in the blinds. Kelsie May, 15, of Louisa, Ken., auditioned with Loretta Lynn’s “You’re Looking at Country.” She turned three chairs. They’re going to sing Reba McEntire’s “Fancy.” Blake says they’re both young country singers, and there’s only room for one of them on his team. And he says this song will challenge them. Brenna realizes she doesn’t know the song as well as Kelsie. But Brenna swears she’s going to practice the song until she’s singing it in her sleep. Once they learn the song, Blake wants them to step up their stage presence. He’s looking for attitude and sass and says the singer who delivers that will likely be the winner.

Well, the young ladies learned the song well, and they sound really good together. But they aren’t exactly cutting loose on the stage. Kelsie seems a bit more self-assured with the song. Brenna is clearly trying harder to get into the performance. They end with wonderful harmonies. Hmm, another tough choice. I like Brenna just a bit better. Christina and Pharrell say they both performed well. Adam says he thinks Kelsie is just a little more advanced as a performer. Blake declares Kelsie the winner.